Egg Price Profiteering Where You Live Due To Coronovirus?

[gtaus]

Where I live, the "normal" "pre-Coronavirus" price for a dozen white eggs at the big box stores was less than $1.00. I never decided to have a small backyard flock to save money on eggs. Things have really changed around here in many ways, but also with respect to egg availability at our stores (which I don't understand). Our local stores ran out of eggs, doubled the price per dozen, and limit one dozen per purchase so everyone has a better chance to get some eggs.

Anyway, Dear Wife has been previously selling our excess brown eggs to friends of the family for $2.00 per dozen, which was a good deal for me (they were excess eggs for us), but also for our friends as the pre-Coronavirus price of brown eggs was about $2.50 - $6.00 per dozen, depending on the label. Now, we still sell the eggs for $2.00 per dozen but only to our friends that were buying before this Coronavirus situation. With only 10 hens, it's not like we can supply too many families with eggs.

Somebody explain to me how in the world the price of eggs can double in the big box stores in the last couple of weeks when I have yet to hear of any chicken die off affecting availability? Are these eggs being stock piled somewhere to create an artificial shortage and drive prices up? The price of my grains and feed has not changed, so it costs me the same to feed my flock. OK, I don't need the $2.00 per dozen for my financial well being, but it helps pay for the chicken feed and my little "hobby" does not cost anything out of pocket.

I have decided not to raise my egg prices due to the Coronavirus situation, but I am sure I could get more for my eggs now that the big box store shelves are empty. Just wondering what other people with small flocks and selling eggs are doing in these times, if you are seeing egg shortages at your local big box stores, and if you have raised your egg prices in response. I'm not trying to pass judgement on anyone, and understand the price of eggs varies from region to region, but it would be interesting to hear from others who sell their eggs to family and friends how they are working through these times. Thanks for any feedback.

 

[Meg-in-MT]

We've had the same issue around here. What you could buy for $2 or less a dozen, is now at $4.50. I've always sold my eggs for $3.00 a dozen and will continue to do so. If feed prices go up then I will reassess, of course, but I've got no interest in price gouging just because I can.

I, like you, do not understand the price increase on eggs specifically. As far as I know, they are not dying from covid

 

[SharW75]

The prices have gone way up around here too, IF you can find any at all. There was actually an article on my local news about the shortage. I'm still giving most of mine away to a veterans organization, and to my neighbors who can't find them. If the neighbors pay me, that's great, but if not, I'm not worried about it. I just want to help out.

 

[Coykoi]

I sell mine for $4/dozen, the same as before. A client told me this morning that I'm under charging. I have no intention to raise prices. Every area is different, but if people want to pay big box store prices for eggs from true free range, happy hens, then they have no clue why. I educate them on why the eggs they buy in the store are inferior.

 

[Chicken Heel]

I have not raised the price of my eggs but am giving preference to those folks that have been consistent customers before the stores ran out. People in our area are hoarding everything but Spam. I would hoard Spam before toilet paper especially now that the trees are leafing out.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I've been selling for 2.50 a dozen with a clean carton exchange, 3 without.
But since the Covid 19 came here I no longer do a carton exchange.
I'm absorbing the cost. Around .33¢. to the customers who always had a clean carton to exchange.
I've got enough new cartons for more than a year.

With only 6 layers, I only have 3 dozen available every other week from March through September.
1 dozen every other week in October.

All eggs from November through February will stay in my fridge. I ran out of eggs for more than a month last winter. GC

 

[Friendly_Lurker]

I'd been selling my eggs for $4, and still do but now I give away a lot. The pandemic's actually taken away much of my business.

 

[gtaus]

If feed prices go up then I will reassess, of course, but I've got no interest in price gouging just because I can.

That's what I have decided, too. If feed costs go up, I'll reconsider my asking price for eggs. But not until then.

 

[gtaus]

I'm still giving most of mine away to a veterans organization, and to my neighbors who can't find them. If the neighbors pay me, that's great, but if not, I'm not worried about it. I just want to help out.

That's great to give to the vets organization, and other charities if you can. When I first started getting excess eggs, I gave some away to friends and family. Unfortunately, sometimes when you give something away, it's just not appreciated. So Dear Wife started selling the eggs for $2.00 per dozen to her friends and they are much more appreciative of our fresh backyard eggs.

 

[gtaus]

I educate them on why the eggs they buy in the store are inferior.

My brother asked me if our backyard eggs were better tasting then store bought eggs. I told him, honestly, that I probably could not taste which egg was from the store or from my chickens. But, there is an obvious color and texture difference you can see, in that my backyard eggs have a much darker orange yolk than store bought eggs. In fact, we have one customer that is on some kind of strict diet and he will only buy our eggs because he sees the difference in our eggs compared to store bought eggs.